Growing up on a South Dakota farm may have influenced Deffenbaugh’s decision to purchase a fixer-upper farm located on the outskirts of Sioux Falls, but what he did with the property is a true reflection of his personality and love for restoration. “It definitely would have been easier to have just torn this old house down,” he says. “About all that’s left are the exterior walls and supports.” Instead, Deffenbaugh embarked on a journey that left him living out of a barn and spending countless hours tearing down old buildings, salvaging the aged-toperfection wood. Whether used as part of the architecture or to create custom-made furniture, one could say that other walls may be doing the talking now. “I built this coffee table top using a slab of a bur oak tree,” Deffenbaugh says. “It appears to be about 150 years old if you look at the number of rings.” He finishes it off with a stump support and a pair of rawhide chairs. All that’s needed is the glow of the fireplace. But even without a glow, the fireplace, from Fireplace Professionals, is still eye-catching with its unique use of stone. “I wanted it to look like lava,” he says, referring to the pinkish stone that appears to be slowly seeping from the wall. The open concept of the family room and kitchen are original to the 1920s home. However, not much of the
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SIOUX FALLS WOMAN • october/november 2012